News

2007-07-13 11:44:09.847

Fenton Firefighter Wins Top Lottery Prize

Richard G. Dornseif, St. Louis (63128)*, is the 10th person to claim a $250,000 top prize in the Missouri Lottery’s "$250,000 Mega Cash" Scratchers game. Dornseif, 42, purchased his winning ticket at Convenient Food, 5253 Mattis Road in St. Louis, on July 8.
"It was after 7 - 7 - 07, but it was still a lucky day," Dornseif said.
Dornseif, a full-time firefighter in Fenton, had stopped at Convenient Food to cash a $10 winning Scratchers ticket. He had thought about cashing it in for a "Lifetime Riches" ticket, but he settled on "$250,000 Mega Cash." Dornseif started to scratch his ticket at the store and realized he had won a prize.
"The store clerk said, ’Oh, wow. You won something,’" Dornseif said. "I thought it was probably about $100."
When Dornseif revealed the first prize on the ticket, which was $10,000, he told the clerk, "I got to go," and he went home to finish scratching the ticket with his wife, Jenny.
"We were pretty shocked," Dornseif said of revealing his prize. "It was amazing."
Dornseif has twin two-year-old boys. He said that he sold his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to buy a mini van when they were born. Dornseif plans to use some of his money to buy another motorcycle, and he’s going to save the rest for his sons’ college education.
"We have college set for them if we invest it right," Dornseif said. "It’s just the right amount of money. It’s not enough to confuse you, but it gets you over the hump."
The $10 game, "$250,000 Mega Cash," began on Jan. 31. It offers 30 top prizes of $250,000 and more than $100 million in cash prizes.